Sergio Aguero scored his 12th hat-trick to become the highest overseas goalscorer in Premier League history in rampant Manchester City’s six-goal hammering of struggling Aston Villa.
The Argentine moved level – and then past – Thierry Henry, before joining Frank Lampard on 177 goals in England’s top flight.
Only three men – Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney and Andy Cole – are still ahead of him on the all-time Premier League list. Aguero’s number of hat-tricks is a Premier League record.
It was part of a merciless City performance as they took apart a Villa side who were suffering their worst defeat since Liverpool beat them at 6-0 at Villa Park in February 2016 and have dropped into the relegation zone.
Riyad Mahrez scored the first two, with Gabriel Jesus splitting Aguero’s double just before half-time.
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The result leaves City second, the highest position they have occupied following a full round of matches since the beginning of November, although they remain 14 points behind leaders Liverpool, having played a game more.
Relentless Aguero
It is scarcely believable now but there were some people who thought City had wasted their money when they spent £40m to buy Aguero from Atletico Madrid in 2011.
He scored twice against Swansea on his debut and it feels like he has not stopped finding the net since.
Aguero’s most famous goal came at the end of that first season, against QPR to win the title, but for City fans his impact goes way beyond that single strike.
The 31-year-old is the club’s record scorer and now needs only one more to reach 250 for the Blues in all competitions.
His first was a ferocious effort, the third a clinical strike after he had been given a clean sight of goal.
But maybe the best indication of the relentlessness with which Aguero goes about his job came from the long conversation he had with Mahrez after the half-time whistle had gone, when he demanded to know why his team-mate had not set him up about five minutes earlier.
City were 4-0 up at the time.
